Improvement in horse-rakes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

A. SHUNK, OF SHANESVILLE, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE-RAKES Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,020, dated August 30, 1864.

nying drawings, making a part of this specifi-- cation, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved rake. Fig. 2 is a top view of the rake.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bot-h figures.

The object of my invention and improvements in horse or wheel rakes is to so apply the thills to the rake-frame that the teeth of the rake can be adjusted nearer to or farther from the ground, according to the character of the .grass or other cut product, as will be hereinafter described.

Another object of my invention is to enable the driver to raise or depress the tines by means of a jointed lever and treadle so applied to ahinged or pivoted rake-head that the driver is enabled to hold the parts in raking position by the pressure of his foot, or to raise the same out of operative position by means of his hand, all as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

' A represents the axle-tree, and B B the two carriage-wheels thereon.

C G are two beams, which are suitably framed to the axle-tree A, so as to extend out longitudinally in front and rear thereof. The forward extensions of these beams G G form hounds, by which to attach the thills D to the machine, and the rear ends of said beams form supports for the transverse rake-head E, as clearly shown in both rigores of the drawings. rlhe rake-head E is so applied to the extended supports C C as to rock in its bearings thereon, and to this head the rake-tines a a are applied by bending one of their ends, inserting this end in a hole made in the head,and then p coiling the tine around the head, so as to form On one side of the drivers seat F, which is mounted'on the axle A, is an arrangement ot' levers, whereby the driver can raise or depress the rake-tines, and thus throw the rake into and outoil operation at pleasure. A short arm, b, is secured at one end to the rocking head E, and pivoted at its rear projecting end to the Aend of a lever-treadle, c, which is carried forward over the axle A, and furnished on its end with a foot-piece, upon which the driver, while seated in seat F, puts his foot, as indicated in red lines, Fig. l. At an intermediate point between the ends of the lever c afbent lever, d, is pivoted, one end of which is pivoted to the cross-tree D' ot the thills, and theother end is carried up by the side of the drivers 'seat F, so that this end will be convenient to the driver. The relative position ot' the three pivot-connections i t" t2 is such that when the rake is thrown down into its operative position the pivot-connection t will fall slightly below the points t' t2 and the levers will rest at an intermediate point between their ends on the axle tree A, and in this position it will be seen that the axle-tree will prevent the rake from rising. When the driver desires to throw the raketeeth up,asindicatcd in red lines, Fig. 1, he releases the pressure on the forward end oflever c and forces the upper end of bent lever d forward and upward. At the same time he can raise the lever c slightly with his foot.

It is not intended that the driver shall re sist the upward or backwardpressure of the rake when in operation, for this could not be conveniently done .by the power of a single man. It is intended, though, that the driver shall prevent the levers c d from springing up in consequence of the jarring of the machine in traveling over rough land, and this he. can do by pressing with his foot upon the forward extremity ,of the lever c, and thus keeing the joint at t" down in its place on the axle-tree A, as above described.

In order to adapt my machine to work in different kinds of cut product, it is necessary that the raking ends ot' the teeth should be adjusted at dii'erent heights from the grounde.g.,meadowland should be raked very close, while clover-fields cannot be raked so close in consequence of the tufts and stubble, which would be caught by the rake-teeth.

'Io adjust the machine I pivot the rear ends of the thills to the hounds or projecting portions C O at un, and make a number of holes,

p p, through the hounds C C in the are of a circle described from the pivot-connections u n, through which holes the pins r r are passed that enter holes in the thilis.

It will be seen that when the pins r arepassed into the lowest holes p, and the thiils thus fixed rigidly to' the hounds C G, the ends ot' the rake-teeth will be brought down closely to the surface of the ground in consequence of elevating the forward end of the frame. By withdrawing the pins 7' r, depressing the forward end of the frame, and then inserting these pins into the highest bolespp, the raking ends of the teeth will be elevated to the fullest extent above the surface of the ground by scribed.

A. J.V SHUNK.

Witnesses: v

DANIEL BATES, G. Y. SPRINGER. 

